Author: Alan Olsen

Property taxes have long been a sticking point for people who own homes in California. Owning a home is not cheap. However, many property owners are discovering the benefits of a nice tax loophole known as Proposition 13. Prop 13 places…

Have you heard of season affective disorder (SAD)? It’s a real thing that many people suffer from. In fact, it’s estimated that 6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD. Typically described as depression associated with the late fall…

On Friday, July 6th, 2018 new tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump went in to effect on $34 billion Chinese goods. These tariffs cover a range of goods but most importantly, include steel and aluminum. While this seems like an aggressive step by the Commander in Chief, it is anticipated there is…

Interest rates are staying pat. That’s the IRS’s interest rates, not the federal interest rates. The tax agency announced rates for both tax refunds and late payments recently. And both rates will remain the same as they were in the previous quarter. …

Does it seem like the stock market has been all over the board this year? That’s because it has. So what’s behind the recent trend of big swings? There are many factors that play a role in the stock market’s…

How much different would life be if states could charge an Internet sales tax? This is a question that has long been argued at different levels of government and business. The argument could finally be coming to a head,…

With the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) in place, it’s out with old and in with new when it comes to alimony. For years, the spouse paying alimony could deduct those payments from his or her income. On the other…

By now you’ve had enough time to get a good read on how the new tax laws have affected your paycheck. For most people, the news should be good. However, in many cases, it could actually be better. The problem…

While the majority of taxpayers have already filed their 2017 tax return, there are still millions who haven’t quite got around to completing this task. Whether you’ve filed or not, you need to be aware of the possible scams that…

Let’s talk about IRAs. There are two general kinds of IRAs: Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. First, what’s the difference? In a nutshell, you can deduct traditional IRA contributions from your federal and state income tax returns for the year you make the contribution.…